


Distraction

by simpleandpure22



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Fluff, German National Team, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 19:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13488537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpleandpure22/pseuds/simpleandpure22
Summary: Leon would be lying if he said securing a place in next year’s World Cup wasn’t constantly on his mind. He wants that, every player wants that. Which is why he needs to do well in this tournament to increase his chance. That, and avoiding any form of distraction.Noticing that Julian’s dimples are cute when he smiles is a form of distraction.





	Distraction

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote a football fic again :) I checked my old works and noticed that the last time I did was nearly ten months ago. Though, I'm sorry if it's short and mushy. I'm trying to push through a writer's block.
> 
> This pairing caught my eye during Confederations Cup last year, and I'm happy to finally be able to write something.

“God, Leon, you really suck at this,” Joshua remarks when Leon missed the hole for the second time, followed by a cackle.

Leon can’t exactly argue with that; he’s not the best minigolf player in the world, let alone in the team. But he’s not gonna admit it out loud, of course not. When he looks up from the stray ball, he sees that Julian is watching him. Julian smiles when their eyes meet, but before Leon does anything he already turns his head to Joshua.

“You sucked too last year remember? Actually, you were way worse,” Julian says, on Leon’s defence. It’s kind of sweet.

The reply he gets from Joshua is an incredulous eye roll. Being the nice person that he is, Julian merely laughs. Neither one of them is particularly good at minigolf, but Julian is the best of the losers. Though he doesn’t rub his victory in the other two’s faces—if it was Joshua, he sure would. Julian humbly says he plays more than them, and that Bernd is the probably the best minigolf player in their team.

Despite not being particularly good at it, Leon quite enjoys the game. It’s a good relaxation between trainings and the tournament in general. It’s not his first time being in Russia, but it sure feels different to be there with the _A-Mannschaft._ The aim is to win the Confederations cup, of course, but Leon would be lying if he said securing a place in next year’s World Cup wasn’t constantly on his mind. He wants that, every player wants that. Which is why he needs to do well in this tournament to increase his chance.

That, and avoiding any form of distraction.

Noticing that Julian’s dimples are cute when he smiles is a form of distraction. And the blond keeps looking at him with his twinkling blue eyes, smiling at him, which only makes things worse. Leon has known Julian for years, since their time in U-16. He’s always been nice and easy going, and they get along fine, for as long as Leon remembers. But did Julian gaze at him that often before, only him and not anybody else? Maybe he did, but Leon never noticed it, until now.

Like yesterday evening in the game room. Leon walked into the room with Timo and Emre, who immediately joined the guys playing pool. Leon wasn’t in the mood for pool, so he went to the dartboard. Julian was sitting next to Bernd on the couch, talking about something. But as soon as he saw Leon, his face broke into a smile. Automatically Leon smiled back, because how could he not. But now he can’t help wondering why Julian seems glad to see him every time. They are roommates, which means they see each other all the time. It doesn’t explain the genuine smile on Julian’s face when he watches Leon.  

But Leon can’t keep thinking about it. It’s a distraction and has to be treated as such.

~*~

Leon is about to check for his messages after dinner, but he can’t find his phone. It’s weird; he’s sure he took it with him when he left the room earlier. But maybe he didn’t. He decides to go back to his room to see if it’s there.

Now where is the damn phone? Leon has looked everywhere in the room, even under the bed, but it is nowhere in sight. He’s checking his backpack for the third time when Julian walks in.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

Leon empties his bag, tossing the content carelessly on the bed. “Looking for my phone.” He turns to Julian, who looks puzzled.

“Your phone? But it’s here,” Julian says, showing Leon’s phone in his hand.

What the—? Jumping from the bed, Leon takes the phone from him. “Where did you find it?”

“It was on the coffee table. You must have put it there before dinner and then forgot about it,” Julian replies, his blue eyes twinkle. “Grandpa.”

Leon shakes his head. How the hell did he forget his phone on the coffee table? “I was looking for it for ten minutes.” He grins, putting the phone on the nightstand. “Thanks, man.”

“You’re getting old,” Julian teases and then dodges in an impressive speed when Leon tries to grab him. But Leon won’t let him go that easily, hell no. He catches Julian’s wrist and traps him against the wall, tickling his sides until Julian shrieks.

“Stop! Leon, stop,” he breathes out between laughter. Leon stops tickling, though he’s still holding Julian’s wrists.

As Julian looks up his cheeks are blushing, yet his eyes are bright, so bright, so beautiful. Such a dangerous thought. Leon releases him at once when he realises what he’s doing. As he’s taking one step back, he sees Julian’s eyes widen slightly.

“What’s wrong?” the blond asks. He must have noticed the change in Leon’s demeanour.

“Nothing,” Leon replies quickly. “I just remember I need to text my sister about something.” Then he turns around and strides towards the bed, reaching for his phone as he sits down. It’s not a lie; he does need to ask his sister about their cousin’s new phone number, but that’s not why he released Julian.

Julian is sitting on his own bed, watching him. For a while he lets Leon write on his phone in silence, until Leon can’t pretend to write slower and he places his phone back on the nightstand. Hesitantly, he looks up at his roommate, meeting his gaze.

“Should’ve told you earlier, but I’m glad we both got called up,” Julian tells him, a small smile crosses his face. “I always love to play in the same team as you.”

“Cause I’m great, right?” Leon jokes. He has to, otherwise he’d come up with something sappy, or worse—something he’d regret. Jokes have proven to be an effective diversion.

He doesn’t expect Julian’s smile to grow wider. “You know you are,” he says, sounding genuine. More than Leon feels he deserves.

~*~

It’s just infatuation.

That’s what Leon tells himself for the next days. Julian has a crush on him, most likely, but things like that don’t last. Right? People have crushes all the time, it’s not that serious. That happens when you spend a lot of time with someone. But after the morning training, Joshua says he needs to talk to him, and Leon has a bad feeling about this.

They stay on the pitch, while the others go back inside the hotel one by one. Leon sees Julian walk with Bernd, but not before he gives Leon his usual smile.

“Is there something between you and Julian?” Joshua asks, never one to beat around the bush.

A soft sigh escapes Leon’s lips. “No.” _Not yet._ Hopefully it will remain that way.  

“I’m pretty sure the guy likes you.”

It doesn't surprise Leon that Joshua is the first one pointing that out. He supposes some people must have guessed it by now, putting two and two together, since Julian isn’t exactly being subtle about it. And Joshua spends a lot of time with them.

“I know,” he replies. Joshua’s eyes are fixed on him, as if waiting for him to elaborate. “He told me he’s just happy to be in the same team as me, we’ve known each other for ages.” Leon pauses for a moment. “He’ll get over it.”

“What if he won’t?” Joshua doesn’t seem to agree with him. “Leon, you’re both my friends. And I assume we’ll play together in the National Team for many years to come. You can’t let something like this ruin everything."

Leon looks back at him. “Nothing will happen, trust me. Because he will get over it.”

Joshua still doesn’t look too sure. “How do you know that?”

“Because infatuation wears off,” Leon says again. _And neither of us needs this distraction._ ”Look, I’ll handle it before anyone gets hurt, I promise.”

“Alright.”

~*~

Leon puts his white shirt on, smoothing down the fabric as he leaves the changing room. It always feels special to bear the eagle crest; it’s no exception this time. Some of his teammates like Marc-André, Sandro, and Lars have begun to line up in the tunnel. Further down the line he sees Julian, who hasn’t noticed him. As Leon walks to his place, he stops behind Julian and ruffles his hair. Julian turns around and grins, before stepping forward and giving Leon a hug.

Julian buries his face in Leon’s shoulder for a heartbeat before looking up and smiling at him once again, blue eyes shining with such sweetness that makes Leon want to look away. It feels a little too… intimate, as if there are no other people around. Leon forces himself to smile back, as his conversation with Joshua lingers at the back of his mind. He guesses he’s been downplaying the matter this whole time. Maybe Julian’s feeling for him is deeper than he thought. _It means a bigger problem_. Carefully, he pushes Julian away.

“Break a leg. Not literally, though,” Julian says with a soft laugh, revealing his two dimples that look nothing but adorable on him. Leon knows he’s staring, but he can’t seem to look away. Luckily, Jule Draxler comes to his rescue as he shakes their hands. After a short exchange, Julian smiles at Leon once again before walking out of the tunnel with the other subs.

More people join the line, and Leon shakes off all the thoughts that aren’t match related.

~*~

Nothing tastes as sweet as victory.

The buzz, the adrenaline, the rush. It’s like everything suddenly feels better and everyone twice as beautiful. At least that’s what Leon is telling himself as he watches Julian. They’re just back to their hotel room around dawn, Leon’s throat is sore because of all the screaming, and he has some bruises from the match. But none of those matter. They just won Confederations Cup, with a different squad from the one winning the World Cup three years ago. It’s a pretty big deal.

Hours after the match ended, he’s still feeling the rush. So, when Julian hugs him for probably the tenth time, Leon lets him. The hug lasts longer than it supposes to, and normally Leon would pull away—his more sober self certainly would. But alcohol and adrenaline have never been a good combination.

When Julian pulls back, his hand reaches up to touch Leon’s face, gently running his thumb over Leon’s cheekbone. Leon looks at him, his gaze slowly flickers down, and the only thing that comes to his mind is… _such a pretty mouth._

It’s warm, and tastes almost as sweet as a victory.

Leon feels rather than hears a soft moan that escapes Julian’s lips when he tilts his head to deepen the kiss. One of his hands is on Julian’s back, pulling him closer, while the other hand slides up his hair. Leon tentatively, yet seductively licks Julian’s lower lip, coaxing him to open his mouth. When he does, Leon’s tongue caresses his, eliciting another moan.

Soon, kissing him isn’t enough anymore. Leon wants more, so much more. He breaks the kiss to pull Julian’s shirt over his head before carelessly tossing it to the floor. As their eyes meet again, Julian’s face is flushed and his lips swollen. And yet, he never looked better. Leon kisses him again for some long seconds, and then he drags his lips across Julian’s jawline, all the way down to the side of his neck. He sucks on his pulse point, a bit harder than he probably should, making Julian gasp. Then he runs his tongue over the soft skin.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, Leon knows they are crossing the line. But at the moment he doesn’t care. There’s fire under his skin, and he needs to touch Julian… needs Julian to touch him. _Every little inch of his body._ Over and over, until the fire becomes unbearable.

~*~

The morning always comes too soon.

Leon cracks one eye open, followed by the other one. Neither of them remembered to close the curtains last night, and the sunlight on his face feels harsh and unrelenting. When the body next to him stirs, Leon takes a deep breath. Julian turns around and their eyes meet. His hair is sticking up to every direction, and his lips are red and swollen. Yet, the smile on his face is familiar.

“Good morning,” Julian murmurs softly.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” Leon says, and already regrets it when he sees Julian’s smile falter. Why does he have to be an arsehole this early in the morning? But he can’t take it back. Leon inwardly groans; he has promised Joshua to take care of Julian’s crush on him, and what did he do instead?

Julian looks at him for a second, blinking slowly. “Maybe we shouldn’t, but I wanted it to happen. Have done for a while.”

It makes Leon’s heart skip a beat. “Do you like me, Jule?” he asks barely above a whisper, though he already knows the answer.

The room is silent, apart from their breathing and the soft hum of the air conditioner. Julian is still watching him. “I do, Leon,” he says. “So much.” He pauses for a moment before saying again, “How do you feel about me?”

The question shouldn’t surprise Leon; it’s only fair, isn’t it? “I like you,” Leon says, matter-of-factly. He doesn’t miss out the smile on Julian’s face. “But that’s not the point. We both really want to be here, it should be our priorities for now. If we tried something and it didn’t work out, do you think it wouldn’t be awkward the next time we play together? We don’t need this… distraction.”

Julian’s eyebrows are pulled together in a frown. “Distraction?”

Okay, maybe Leon could’ve phrased it a little better. “It’s gonna be complicated, Jule. There’s a lot at stake.”

“So you’re gonna pretend that—“ Julian gestures at them, ”—this never happened?” His voice is still calm, but hurt flashes in his eyes. Leon hates to see that.

He reaches over to touch Julian’s face, and to his relief, Julian doesn’t flinch. “Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I can,” Leon admits, his finger tracing Julian’s cheek, feeling his defence weaken. “All I can think about is kissing you again.”

Slowly, the corners of Julian’s lips curl up into a smile, and it chases away the last shreds of Leon’s self-restraint. Leon shifts, pressing their mouths together. He only pulls away when they desperately need to breathe.  

“Then you shouldn’t,” Julian says, his voice low. He gives Leon’s lips a chaste kiss before pulling away, but his face is still close enough that Leon can count his eyelashes if he wants to.

Leon watches him, at the blue eyes that stare at him with undisguised hope. How can anyone say no to those? His finger gently moves across Julian’s cheek.

“I won’t.”

 

 


End file.
